Memories of Summer
by Nintendian
Summary: She misses the old days, when her best friends were still here and hadn't forgotten her name (and complete existence). - Player and villagers.


So here's my little Animal Crossing fic that probably no one's ever going to read. :P This was based on what really happened in my Wild World game. I love Animal Crossing as much as Pokémon, which is really saying a lot. Also I bought New Leaf recently and I LOVE IT :)

_I don't own Animal Crossing._

* * *

**memories of summer**

~ she only dreams of it, these days ~

x

There was a new villager in Seaway.

The news spread around the whole place, and all the current villagers gathered around a taxi to meet the "new girl." Nobody had any idea of what to expect of her. They all imagined a normal girl with a regular girly personality, although they didn't say it out loud. So the animals were all surprised when the new girl stepped out of the taxi in a T-shirt and shorts, carrying only a sports duffel bag and a cheerful attitude. The first thing they saw was her impish smile and bright eyes.

"My name's Izzy," she announced. And she went on to say that she was going to become a permanent resident of Seaway, that she was starting over and this was her new life. No one asked what her old life had been like, though they were all wondering it.

She had light brown hair under her blue cap, and she was a bold girl with a tomboyish yet sweet personaltity. The animals all took a liking to her right away, and she quickly gained everyone's approval, even crabby old Mayor Tortimer.

To Izzy, Seaway seemed like a nice enough, although small, place. Orange trees grew all over town and fresh green grass stretched beyond her imaginings. There was a wataerfall and a river that led to the ocean, and flowers were randomly scattered across the grass. The town was placed right next to the sea, hence the name Seaway. It was a tropical paradise, complete with coconut trees and everything.

The villagers were all right too, but somehow they just seemed kind of dull. Or maybe she just wasn't used to these kinds of animals. But besides them, Izzy had a feeling that life in Seaway wasn't going to be boring at all. She picked out a house close to the beach so she could see and hear the ocean when she woke up. And, despite her protests, she was forced to start working by a raccoon creature named Tom Nook, who made her run countless errands, most of which she found annoying and useless.

The one errand she somewhat enjoyed, however, was when Tom Nook told her to meet all the villagers. Izzy was confused at this because she thought she'd met them all when she had first arrived, but after looking at her town map, she found an occupied house down by the beach, near her own.

Izzy ran up and knocked the door, expecting someone to answer, but no one did. The light was on inside though, so she pushed open the door and found an orange frog inside, working out and doing a set of push-ups. It was quite a weird sight, but no one loved sports more than Izzy.

When he was done with the push-ups, the frog looked up and noticed her for the first time. "So you're the new villager? Nice to meetcha," he said with a grin. " What's your name? I'm Drift. Here's to a long friendship!"

He had no idea (yet) how right he was.

— - O - —

Slowly, after finishing work for Tom Nook and gradually paying off her house loan, Izzy became accustomed to life in Seaway. Some other humans moved into the same house as her and she got to know them as her family. And the villagers? They moved in and out, with someone leaving and another one arriving in just a few days, but the only one who stayed—permanently, it seemed—was the jock frog Izzy had met the other day. Drift.

The villagers who moved out would leave her a letter. It was confusing, as many villagers moved out within days of moving in. Izzy had no idea why. The cozy little Seawayprobably didn't suit them, she guessed. Though she didn't know why she, with her adventurous spirit, liked it here either. Something just felt..._right _about this town.

So animals came and went along with the days, and she only remembered a few of the names, the ones who she'd befriended. She kept all the moving letters she recieved and waited for the animals who would move in and stay permanently.

It took a long time, but finally there came eight villagers who promised not to move away, because apparently they were starting a new life like Izzy. She got to know them well—Drift, Antonio, Anchovy, Camofrog, Goldie, Sally, Nibbles, and Tiffany. From the day she met them, their names stuck, unlike all the other ones.

To her surprise, these villagers weren't as boring as the old ones who'd moved in before. These animals were fun to be around, and she had a feeling that they'd all be best friends forever.

— - O - —

It was summer. Bugs chirped on the trees, butterflies flew in the air and Izzy practiced using her net to catch the little creatures. The ocean was as clear and blue as ever, unseen fish lurking beneath their depths until she fished them out with her fishing rod. She used her shovel to dig up fossils, and occasionally there also was a present floating in the air, which she shot down using her slingshot.

During the long, lazy summer days, Izzy talked to her neighbors and got to know them better. It was a memorable time. She spent days exploring, having fun, getting closer to her fellow villagers. Some parts weren't as enjoyable though; she got bit by countless mosquitoes, and once she found a tarantula near the beach. Unfortunately, Izzy just _had _to take her net out, and the tarantula chased her all the way down the beach before giving its "killing" bite. Next thing she knew, everything was black and when she opened her eyes again, she found herself lying in front of her house, dazed and dizzy. "Huh? How did I get _here_?"

She stayed out in the sun for hours each day, doing favors for her neighbors and getting more money, by hitting a money rock (she was shocked when she first struck a rock with her shovel and Bells popped out) or shaking trees and selling things. She eventually collected enough Bells to pay for her current-sized house, but then she decided to expand her house again, and another giant bill hit her in the face.

When she was tired and hot, she would lie under the cool shade of an orange tree with her arms resting behind her head, staring up at the wide blue cloudless sky. Sometimes Drift or Goldie or another villager would join her under the tree. None off them would actually say anything, but it was just nice to have the others there. Although at times, they would engage in a conversation, and Izzy laughed at the animals' awkward attempts at a chat. They would always say the most random things, from their Happy Room Academy score (while throwing a fit) to gossiping about other villagers.

Izzy visited the Able Sisters frequently too, as she liked chatting with the friendly and open Mabel. When she had first talked to Sable, the hedgehog hadn't responded, and Mabel informed Izzy that her sister was quite shy. But now, Sable seemed to be opening up to her more and more every day. Although, Izzy rarely bought anything from the Able Sisters, as she had a horrible sense of fashion.

As for all the bugs and fish and fossils that Izzy had collected, she donated them all to the Seawaymuseum, where Blathers praised her for helping to fill up all the museum exhibits. She would usually wander into The Roost to drink coffee as well. She wasn't usually much of a coffee person, but Brewster's was the best she had ever tasted. She gradually became a steady customer and became friends with the quiet coffee-serving bird, who seemed to enjoy chatting with her.

She befriended Tom Nook and eventually helped him upgrade his store to Nookington's with Timmy and Tommy and Harriet. The hairstylist kept urging Izzy to try a new hairstyle despite her protests. The girl came to know all the animals in town, even Pelly and Phyllis and Copper and Booker. This was her town now, and she loved it. She couldn't imagine any other life anymore.

She collected more and more money as the days passed, and eventually paid Tom Nook enough to renovate her house into a mansion. Everyone around town talked about it and admired it, asking Izzy how in the world had she ended up with the long coveted mansion. Her only reply was, "Blood, sweat, and tears." But it was her dream house and all that hard work was worth it now.

The villagers of the town created their own joyous memories, memories that could never be forgotten. They celebrated holidays together, keeping up with the tradition of trick-or-treating on Halloween and giving each other presents on Christmas. They launched fireworks when the new year came around, and also during the Fourth of July.

Seasons upon seasons passed. Autumn was nice, with the leaves changing color from green to orange and the weather getting progressively colder with each day. Winter in the town was almost as fun as summer—white snowflakes would fall from the gray sky relentlessly, covering the whole town. Izzy and the other villagers would make snowmen for hours, and once Izzy threw a snowball at Sally, prompting a snowball fight. Even the cranky Camofrog, even the snooty Tiffany joined in to play like children. Then spring came with the cherry blossoms, making the town look beautiful, as the pink petals floated around everywhere.

And then it was summer again, the summer of their lives.

— - O - —

This summer was the one they all remembered. The sun shone down hot on the town each day, with the bluest of skies and the greenest of leaves. A fresh breeze would waft overhead. All of the residents of Seaway spent days at the beach, sunning themselves, splashing in the waves, collecting seashells and catching sharks (Izzy actually managed to catch all three!). The girls would put down towels and lay there for the afternoon, while Izzy liked to spend time with the jocks, Antonio and Drift, playing in the sand and water. Childish Anchovy enjoyed creating sandcastles, and occasionally Sally the squirrel would help him.

The rest of the villagers stayed on the sand in the shade of the coconut palm trees. Camofrog, who was usually quick-tempered and crabby, was smiling too, enjoying the sun. Tiffany lay on her towel reading a fashion magazine, but sometimes she would look up and chat with Goldie, who was always kind and loved talking to everyone. Izzy liked playing with Nibbles too, who was peppy and hyper but the bestest friend anyone could wish for. And the three other girls from Izzy's house would read books or water flowers or splash around, just like Izzy.

They would all smile and laugh, playing like kids.

And every week, when it was nighttime and the sky was a deep indigo, the Fireworks Show would start. Everyone always looked forward to this for weeks to come. Colorful explosions illuminated the air and lit up the whole town with their radiance. The residents of Seaway were all dazzled by the show and spent hours gazing up at the exploding colors. The fireworks were especially spectacular on the Fourth of July, when everyone was completely stunned speechless at the amazing show.

That summer, Izzy received all the animals' pictures. In Seaway, when an animal gave a picture to you, it meant you were friends forever. A picture was the ultimate sign of friendship, and to recieve one was rare. The first to give Izzy one was Drift.

"Here's a picture of me! It's a token of our friendship, so keep it forever!"

And she stared at the orange frog as he handed her the precious item. Izzy could hardly speak, but she managed to smile, flashing her bright grin that everyone knew and loved. She clutched the picture and looked at the image of the jock frog and his familiar smile. "Thanks, Drift."

"What're you staring at me like that for? Dude, you okay?" Drift was waving his hand over Izzy's face. "Is it because I just gave you my picture? I'll take it back if you go and get all mushy on me, brah."

"I'm not, and don't you _dare _take it back. If you want a picture of yourself, just look in the mirror."

Drift grinned. "Now _that _sounds more like you."

Next Camofrog gave her his picture, then Sally, then all the villagers until Izzy had gotten every single one. She placed them in her mansion around her room, so she could look at them whenever she wanted. She could've burst with happiness just then, because these villagers were her very best friends and she couldn't imagine living anywhere else but her beloved Seaway.

— - O - —

The years flew by, but they seemed like only months to Izzy because she spent every day with her best friends. They made memories upon memories with each day that passed, and Izzy never had a care in the world. She thought, contentedly, that life would be like this forever; she had a hard-earned mansion and endless Bells from money rocks and shaking trees and selling things.

Of course, there was also the fact that she was the most popular person in town and everyone liked her, even though she did not care about her status at all. The animals gave her ridiculous nicknames like I-town or I-fuzz or I-star, and it always made her crack up when a villager managed to come up with one of those frivolous names (which they actually thought were _decent_). But everyone knew her and loved her for who she was. She and the villagers exchanged presents and engaged in bug- or fish-catching competitions. Izzy always won these encounters, although the villagers continued on trying to beat her at _something, _for once.

The animals constantly invited her over to their house for birthday parties and other various celebrations, until Izzy had been to their houses at least a hundred times and had long since memorized the interior of the cottages. They'd all decorate their houses differently, and occasionally music was playing inside. That was another thing they loved doing, too—attending weekly K.K. Slider concerts at The Roost. The dog visited Seaway every Saturday, and his music was entertaining, to say the least. He always took requests, so Izzy and her friends all hung out in The Roost, drinking Brewster's coffee (with a splash of pigeon milk, because she was his _favorite_ customer), listening to their favorite tunes and dancing and singing along.

They all looked forward to summer, which had become their favorite season. And with each year came unforgettable days of sunshine in the summer or snow in the winter, days that none of them could ever forget.

— - O - —

But seasons change along with animals, and summer wouldn't stay around forever. It was autumn now, and leaves were falling from the trees and swept on the ground by the wind. Izzy didn't mind because she enjoyed the fresh crisp air, which reminded her of the perfect apple. She left her house and stepped outside, feeling the wind float past her face and watching her breath in the chilly morning air. Izzy prided herself on being a morning person; she could always wake up early and not feel tired, which everyone else thought she was crazy for. She loved mornings.

She decided to go visit Drift's house. He often stopped by her house to chat or give her some item she didn't want (like a wallpaper or flooring, or a useless piece of furniture), and Izzy assumed that he would be awake by now. It wasn't _that _early, only nine o'clock.

"Hey, Drift," she called, but stopped right in her tracks, frozen to the spot.

Because Drift's house wasn't there.

In its place was simply a signpost. Izzy whirled around in confusion, her eyes taking in the rest of her surroundings. His house wasn't anywhere. She searched the whole town and found no sign of him, only the rest of the villagers doing their daily business. Sprinting now, she reached her house, tore open the blinking mailbox. The girl pulled out a letter and read it in shaking hands, her lips forming the words.

_Dear Izzy, I decided to pack up and leave Seaway, but I'm sure you know that already. I hit the road 'cause I wanted to bulk up my muscles some more. Don't worry, I'll send you letters. I'm sure I'll come back someday! See ya soon!_

She had never cried before, not once in her whole life. She'd thought tears were a sign of weakness. But now Izzy fell to her knees, disbelieving, shaking her head. She found that her eyes were wet and tears were threatening to escape, leak out and pour down her cheeks.

And she became enraged.

How could Drift abandon her? They were best friends, but he had left, just like that. One day he was there, and the next, poof. He'd vanished into smoke and Izzy was left with the last traces of him slipping through her hands like water. The only thing he'd left behind was one last letter, as if that made everything all right again. It didn't.

She gritted her teeth, clenched her fists, her mind burning with anger. And she ripped up his moving letter, tore it into shreds and watched it fall to the ground.

In the small town of Seaway, a girl sobbed in front of the signpost where her best friend's house had been. The remains of a letter were at her knees, ripped up and abandoned, left there forever.

— - O - —

The next day, Izzy finally gathered herself together and went around town. The sun was shining and she hated it for just _being _there. Because it didn't belong in the sky when Drift had just moved away from her life forever. She tried asking the rest of the villagers if they knew where the orange frog villager had gone, clinging to a small thread of hope.

"Goldie, do you know where Drift went?"

And the golden retriever just gazed at her blankly. "Who's Drift?"

— - O - —

Izzy slumped onto a couch in her mansion, staring at the wall but not seeing it. Her gaze traveled around the room until she caught sight of Drift's picture. His smile was frozen to the surface, trapped there. He was right here in the room with her, but he wasn't, in a sense.

Drift said he would come back, at least write a letter, but he never did.

Whenever she said Drift's name around town, the villagers just stared at her, and it scared Izzy because their gaze was just _blank. _It was empty of everything, of all the memories they had shared, all their time spent playing in the sun. The other villagers acted like they hadn't even heard Drift's name before. At first the girl thought it was some kind of sick, cruel joke, but then she realized that they had truly forgot about the orange frog, that he was wiped from their memories forever.

It scared her.

— - O - —

Someone else had moved in. It was some duck girl, one of those temporary villagers who would leave almost as quickly as they came, and Izzy hated her for replacing Drift, her best friend. When the duck arrived at Seaway, Izzy screamed at her to leave because she wasn't wanted here. The duck backed away and stared at the girl, uneasiness and maybe even fear in the animal's eyes. Sure enough, the next day, her house was gone with a signpost in its spot.

The days passed and to her horror, Izzy recieved another letter on Christmas Day. It was from Camofrog, this time. She stared down at the letter in her hands, became furious again, and tore it up into shreds, the words on the paper ripped apart and forgotten.

It was as if Drift's move had started a chain. Antonio left the next summer, and Anchovy moved away in the spring. Random unwanted villagers replaced Izzy's beloved best friends, and she yelled at the newcomers to go away, which they always did. After another few months, Sally and Goldie and Tiffany and Nibbles all moved away, each right after the other, as if there was nothing good about this town anymore.

It broke Izzy's heart over and over until she didn't have one anymore.

— - O - —

The days came and went. Animals moved in and out with the seasons, and Izzy just gave up. She didn't force the undesirable villagers to leave anymore, because there was just no point. She knew her best friends would never come back. Why had they even moved in the first place? Why had _Drift _moved? Everything was fine and they'd spent years and years of friendship together, but then the animals had went and _moved._

She had truly loved them and they'd left her in the dust. Did all those years together mean _nothing at all _to them?

The sun kept shining after everyone moved. Izzy knew it was mocking her.

Animals moved in. Izzy didn't even meet some of them when they packed up and left. She made a few good friends and remembered a few of their names, like Kid Cat and Lucky and Rosie, but when they gave her their pictures, she just stared at the images sadly. Tears threatening to spill, she placed them on the shelf next to her best friends' pictures. Drift, Nibbles, Sally... Their faces stared out at her, their smiles frozen in time.

Summer didn't mean anything to her now. When Izzy went down to the beach and the sun shone down on her, all she felt was memories. A sea of hidden memories, threatening to explode. Memories, forgotten to everyone but her. The long lost memories, which all disappeared in time, made Izzy's heart ache painfully. Why did she have to remember them? Why couldn't she just _forget? _The thought of best friends only reminded Izzy of her broken heart, shattered and stomped into pieces.

She missed the old days, when her best friends were still here and hadn't forgotten her name (and complete existence).

She only dreamed of summer, these days.

— - O - —

One day, Izzy forced herself to go outside and meet the new villagers in Seaway. She couldn't change what had happened in the past, but the current animals in her town could become her friends, too. Maybe not best friends, but still friends. Izzy could at least try, because she was sick of dwelling on the past every day. _Don't be such a wimp, Izzy._

As soon as she left her mansion, watching the waves and hearing the roar of the ocean, she felt better. To her left, she saw that someone had moved into the same spot as Drift's and she decided she would go there first, if only just to see the interior of the house and know that in the past, somewhere in time, Drift had been there with all his furniture and workout equipment and caught bugs.

She knocked on the door, twice, and let herself in.

There was an orange frog inside, working out and doing a set of sit-ups. It was quite a weird sight, but no one loved sports more than Izzy.

Her breath caught with shock. She stood there, frozen, all her muscles turned to ice, but she waited for the villager to finish his sit-ups. When the frog was done, he looked up and noticed her for the first time. He flashed her the smile that had been frozen on his picture for so long, more recognizable to her than anything else.

"What's your name?" he asked cheerfully. "I'm Drift."

But his eyes were blank, and Izzy knew he'd forgotten the memories.

And her.

* * *

I loved my Wild World game, but then my favorite villagers had to move out... Well, doesn't it happen to everyone? I actually cried when they moved :'(

Anyway, if you read the whole thing, congratulations! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review! Maybe even favorite, if you want. ;)


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